Big or Little Ears?
by corset-rebellion-follower
Summary: Tigress has a lot of stress on her mind, and has been taking it out on everyone else, but mainly Po. And when a discussion with Viper leads to an interesting topic of Tigress's past, what will it all lead to?
1. Heart of Stone

Big or Little Ears?

By corset-rebellion-follower

Disclaimer: I don't own Kung Fu Panda

--

Chapter 1- Heart of Stone

Tigress sat in full lotus on the floor of the training hall, breathing calmly and smoothly. Usually she would be smashing through wood and sparring with Crane or Monkey, but she liked to take a day off from heavy training every now and then.

"Hi-YAH! Hoi-WAH! YAH! Take that! And this! And some of that!! And how about a little bit more of panda foot! Ha!"

Tigress opened her eyes and looked to the disturbance. Po had entered the training hall and was attacking the Adversary. And being very noisy about it. Tigress took a deep breath and gritted her teeth. _Just ignore him, he's just an insignificant other. Focus on inner peace and enlightenment. _

"Get ready! You don't got no chance! Ha ha! DIE, DUMMY, DIEEEEEE!!"

Her eyes snapped open. "Do you MIND? I'm trying to meditate, and it's not any easier with you over there, being a NUISANCE!" she yelled.

"Sorry," Po whispered. Tigress could barely hear him, but it was enough for her. She loosened her shoulders and took a few deep, calming breaths and closed her eyes again.

"Hey Tigress."

"WHAT is it?" she yelled, opening her eyes again. It was Viper, who slid back a little.

"Sorry. I didn't mean to disturb you," she said quietly, beginning to leave.

"Stay, stay, I'm just a little on edge right now. Po's acting like an idiot again," Tigress explained. They turned to where Po was "training". He ran towards the Adversary and jumped on it, causing it to tilt backwards and send Po into the back wall of the training hall.

"OW! I'm ok," he said groggily.

"Yeah, well, he's like that sometimes. But he's an ok guy. And you two get along well most of the time," Viper said supportively.

Tigress sighed. "I know, I just wish he would take training more seriously. Like actually training instead of playing around with that thing. And I definitely wish he would do it more quietly," she groaned.

Viper laughed. "Yeah. He is a little goofy sometimes. Like how he's always muttering, 'see the cookie, want the cookie,' whenever he does train?" she added.

"And how he always hums 'Camptown Races' right before he wakes up?" Tigress added. They both laughed together.

"And did you ever notice his ears?" Viper asked.

"What do you mean?"

"They just sort of sit there most of the time. I mean, some people's ear's move all the time. Like Master Shifu's," Viper explained. Tigress agreed about that. Shifu's ears were always twitching and turning towards sounds. "So whose ears do you like better? Shifu's big ears or Po's little ones?" Viper asked.

"Why does that matter?" Tigress asked.

"It doesn't. It's just… you know, girl stuff. Talking about makeup, clothes, guys, that kind of thing," Viper explained.

Tigress sighed quietly. She had never been one to be interested in that kind of thing, since she had started training at the tender age of five. She had spent most of her time practicing kicks and combination rather than fussing about her hair and clothes. And before she went to the Jade Palace, many of the little and big girls in the Valley of Peace had made fun of her for her tomboy ways. She just wasn't girly. And when they teased her, she never knew what she had done or said to deserve it.

"I don't know. What does that have to do with anything, anyway?" she asked.

"It doesn't. But it's fun!"

Tigress bit her lip. "Well… if I had to choose… I'm a sucker for big ears," she said. Viper giggled.

"Really? I always thought that Master Shifu's ears were really funny looking," she said.

"I like them. They look so soft, and…" Tigress stopped. A warm blush set across her cheeks.

"Ooh, soft?" Viper asked.

"Well, I… I mean… I just…"

"What's soft?" Both of them jumped. Crane looked at them as if they were crazy. "What are you guys talking about?" he asked.

"Nothing. Why?" Tigress asked quickly.

"No reason. But hey, do either of you feel like your arms are about to fall off?" he asked. Viper glared at him.

"That's not really a problem for me."

He smiled sheepishly. "Sorry, Viper. I just flew up and down the steps to the Jade Palace fifty times."

"All of them?" Viper asked in disbelief.

"Yeah. I'm beat. What about you, Tigress? All your limbs fully attached?" he asked.

"Meditation day. I haven't punched, kicked, destroyed, or jumped off anything all day," she reported.

"Ugh, I wish I had done that. But Master Shifu said that I need to pick up my speed." Viper snickered and glanced back at Tigress at the mention of Shifu, whose blush darkened.

"I don't see why. You're really fast already," Viper said.

Crane chuckled shyly. "Yeah, well, there's always room for improvement." This time it was Tigress who smirked and cast her glance from Crane to Viper.

"I'd better get back to training before Shifu comes down on me and makes me do wing-ups. I'll talk to you at dinner." Crane flew off.

"Well?" Tigress asked.

"I think I like Po's ears better," Viper said pensievely. Tigress rolled her eyes. She would bring up the subject of Crane's and Viper's subtle flirting later. _Even I know love when I see it. _

"So, since when do you think Master Shifu's ears are soft?" Viper asked, fluttering her eyelashes.

"Oh… I don't know… I just… well, never mind," she stuttered. _This is something I'd never thought I'd be discussing. _

"Oh, come on! You can tell me!" Viper pressed.

"Well… alright. When I was younger, I might have had a small crush on Master Shifu." Tigress looked at Viper for her reaction.

"Seriously? A crush? On Master Shifu?" Viper asked.

"Well… yeah. I mean, he's my hero. He was cold, and very quiet, but still. Besides, I was young and foolish," Tigress defended.

"Well, I think it's nice to find out that your heart of stone is softening up. I think this is the first time you've ever shown any feeling towards males that wasn't respect or friendship," Viper said quietly. They both watched Po bounce off the Adversary and into the Jade Tortoise. "And maybe some sourness. But sometimes I can't blame you for that."

Tigress grimaced. _A heart of stone? Am I really that insensitive to everybody? _Tigress made a mental pact with herself to be nicer to everyone, especially Po, who she had been very hard on these past few days. _But I guess it matches my stone heart._ She got up out of full lotus and left the training hall to get ready for dinner.

A/N: This is my first Kung Fu Panda story, and I'm really excited. And yes, I know what you're thinking, Shifu is way to old to be with anyone in the movie, but if you don't like it, keep your comments to yourself. I mean it! No flames, please! I wouldn't do it to you, so don't do it to me! Besides, I'm almost certain that this is going to end up being Tigress/Po, or Pigress, as I like to call it. And it's definitely Crane/Viper. But seriously guys, review!! I love ya all! Holla!


	2. I Was Only Twelve!

Big or Little Ears?

By corset-rebellion-follower

Disclaimer: I don't own Kung Fu Panda

--

Chapter 2- I Was Only Twelve!

Tigress still felt her cheeks burn from her conversation with Viper earlier that day. _I've never told anyone about that. What was I thinking, saying that his ears were soft?_

"Are you alright Tigress?" Monkey asked.

She snapped out of it. "What?"

"You haven't touched any of your dinner," he said. Tigress looked down. A full bowl of noodle soup was still in front of her. She looked back up at her friends. They were all staring at her. She quickly picked up her spoon and shoved a bite into her mouth, slurping up the extra noodle that was hanging out of her mouth. Everyone reluctantly turned back to their dinner, except for Viper, who shook her head and started muttering to herself.

Without another word, Tigress stood up from the table and left, not caring that everyone else was looking at her as if she were mentally ill. She caught a bit of their conversation as she walked down the hall.

"What's up with Tigress? She's been so high strung today," Mantis said.

"She seemed a bit nervous when I was talking to her and Viper today. What were you guys talking about?" Crane asked. Tigress stopped. _She wouldn't…_

"It was nothing important. I don't know why she's so touchy today," Viper said.

"She's probably just tired from training. Except for today, she's been extra hard on herself lately. Master Shifu had to replace the wood in the Seven Swinging Clubs of Instant Oblivion five times this week," Po defended.

Tigress let go of the breath she was holding and continued on her way. When she reached the bunk house, she slammed the door to her room and sighed. _Why am I making such a big deal of this? I was only twelve when I had a crush on Master Shifu! I was still a child! _There was a small knock on the wood of her door. She got up and pushed the doors open. They hit Po right in the nose.

"Ow! Aw, man, that hurts… Tigress! Hi! Um, so…" He was stuttering and wringing his hands together.

"What is it?" she sighed. But she immediately fell silent afterwards. She hadn't meant for it to sound so hurtful.

"Well, um, I just… if you didn't like the soup, you know, that I made for dinner, I can try a new recipe, if you want," he said nervously.

She smiled a little. "No, Po, it was delicious. Your soups always are. I just wasn't that hungry."

He grinned. "Really? 'Cause I can make it again!" he said happily. Tigress chuckled softly.

"It's alright. But thank you for asking," she said.

He smiled a goofy smile. "You're welcome. Well, you probably want to get back to whatever you were doing, so I'm just going to go now." Po tripped on the doorframe on his way out and over a porcelain urn in the hallway before he could leave, making Tigress giggle softly. She closed the door to her room and sat down on her bed.

_Poor guy. He's just trying to be nice. And I'm not making it any easier by being so harsh. _"Tigress? Can I come in?" Tigress saw Viper's outline.

"Yeah."

Viper pushed the door open and slithered inside. "So, not hungry?" she asked. Tigress shook her head.

"Not really."

Viper sighed. "Too bad. I had made some of my sweet dumplings earlier and I was going to share them with you." She took out a bowl of steaming dumplings and put them on the small table. "But since you're not hungry…"

Tigress's ears perked up a little. Nothing in the world was better tasting than Viper's sweet dumplings. "For that, I'm hungry."

Viper laughed and handed her a pair of chopsticks. "I thought so. So why'd you skip out on dinner? Everyone's worrying about you," she said.

"I know. Trust me, I know. I'm just under some inner pressure," Tigress explained.

"This pressure wouldn't have anything to do with what we talked about today, would it?" Viper asked. Tigress sighed and hid her face in her paws.

"Yeah. It does. I just… I thought I had finally forgotten about that and moved on."

Viper popped a dumpling into her mouth and chewed. "I don't get it, Tigress, why is this eating at you?" she asked, her mouth still full. Tigress stopped just about as she was about to put a dumpling into her mouth. She put it down and sighed.

"Oh… I don't know, I just… after I realized that it would never be possible for Shifu to like me like I liked him, I just… was hurt."

"Tigress, that was a long time ago. Surely you had enough time to get over it. Find someone else!" Viper insisted.

"I can't!" Tigress screamed. She took a deep breath to calm herself. "I just can't," she said more quietly.

"So what? Are you going to confess undying love for your kung fu master? Who's about two or three times older than you?" Viper asked.

"No! I don't even think of him like that anymore! I was only twelve, and when I realized how things would always be, it broke my heart then. And it hurt!" Tigress defended.

"So you kept this to yourself for all these years and you just let it tear at you?" Viper asked.

"I guess that's why I train so hard all the time. To get rid of my hurt," Tigress said weakly. She felt tears trickle down her cheeks. Viper fell into slight shock. She hadn't ever seen Tigress cry before.

"Well… maybe you should tell Master Shifu about this," she said quietly.

Tigress lifted her head out of her hands. "WHAT? Are you insane? I can't! I would be humiliated! I would have to leave Jade Palace forever!" she shrieked.

"But you said it wasn't serious! That it was just a crush, nothing more. So what's the big deal about telling him?" Viper asked.

"I can't just walk up to my kung fu master and tell him that I was in love with him when I was twelve years old!" They heard a thump outside the door. Tigress's breath caught in her throat. Who had been eavesdropping on her?

Viper slithered over to the door and opened it just enough to stick her head through. She gasped and pulled her head back in, not saying anything and faking a smile.

"Who was it?" Tigress asked fearfully.

"Um… no one."

Tigress walked past her friend and pushed the doors open. Shifu lay in front of the door, eyes only slightly open and mouth open in shock.

"Well… at least you don't have to worry about telling him," Viper said weakly.

A/N: Kapital Zwei heibt gewesen! That's German for Chapter 2 is finished! See? You learn something new every day! Now I think I'll put a little bit of German in all my author's notes. Ok, so at the end of this week I'm going to London on summer vacation (gag! seriously, does anyone want to go in my place?). I won't be able to update or type up new chapters until I get back, so don't hold your breath for a new chapter until after I get back, which I think will be around the 28th of June. But as soon as I get back I'll type up a new chapter just for all my fans! Holla!


	3. Shifu's Reaction

Big or Little Ears?

By corset-rebellion-follower

Disclaimer: I don't own Kung Fu Panda

--

Chapter 3- Shifu's Reaction

Shifu walked down the path to the bunk house where his students slept. Crane and Monkey had reported to him that Tigress had left dinner with no explanation, and also that Po _and _Viper had gone to check on her.

_Knowing how the panda usually handles things, I'll bet he'll be in need of medical attention before midnight. _

Shifu walked down the hallway to his students' bedrooms. He could see the light coming from Tigress's room, and hers and Viper's outlines. He didn't knock or go inside because Tigress and Viper were talking. "So you kept it to yourself all these years and just let it tear at you?" Viper asked.

Shifu was worried at that. What hadn't his best student told him that was hurting her?

"I guess that's why I train so hard all the time. To get rid of my hurt," Tigress said weakly. Shifu frowned. He had been annoyed by having to get the training equipment fixed all the time, but he wished he knew that Tigress was destroying things to get rid of emotional burdens.

"Well… maybe you should tell Master Shifu about this," Viper whispered.

"WHAT? Are you insane? I can't! I would be humiliated! I would have to leave Jade Palace forever!" Tigress yelled. Shifu was _really_ worried now. What could possibly be so hard on her that she couldn't even tell him? Tigress was always like a daughter to him. He always pushed her hard in training, but only because he cared about her.

"But you said it wasn't serious! Just a crush, nothing more. So what's the big deal about telling him?" Viper asked.

Shifu was taken aback. _Tigress is—or was—in love? _

"I can't just walk up to my kung fu master and tell him that I was in love with him…" Shifu didn't even hear the rest of the sentence. He hit the floor, the words he had just heard spinning in his head.

_Tigress is in love… _

_Tigress is in love… _

_...with me. _

Then even the words faded away into the blackness. The next thing Shifu could remember was waking up in his room. He sighed in relief. _It was just a dream. _

"Everybody! Master Shifu's waking up!" Shifu looked to where the voice was. He recognized that it was Crane, but his vision was still a little hazy. '

"What… what's going on?" he asked fuzzily. His vision focused to see that all six of his students were hovering over him. He jumped and yelled, his eyes opening fully. They all took a step or two back.

"What are you all doing watching me sleep?" he asked angrily, sitting up.

"Watching you sleep?" Mantis asked confusedly.

"Master Shifu, you weren't exactly… asleep," Monkey said carefully.

"What are you all talking about?" Shifu demanded.

"Well… you sort of…" Viper began.

Po cut in. "You fainted in the hallway of the bunk house like a little girl," he said, trying not to bust up. The Furious Five lived up to their name as they all glared at him. His smile dropped and he coughed weakly.

"What? I didn't faint. I was having a… rather disturbing dream…" he began.

"No, Master. You really did faint," Viper persisted.

"Tigress and Viper found you," Crane added. Shifu went over his "dream" again. Then he glanced at Tigress, who took another step back and looked at the floor. He just looked at his hands for a moment, trying to accept the fact that it wasn't a dream, and that Tigress…

He shook his head and looked at his students. "Well? Are you all just going to stand there, or are you going to let me get up?" he asked. They all parted so he could get out of bed. He got up and stumbled a bit, but pushed everybody away when they tried to help him. He stormed out of the room, tossing one last confused glance at Tigress.

"I think he handled that well," Mantis said cheerfully. Viper smacked him on the back of the head with her tail. "Ow! Geez, you try to lighten the mood."

Tigress sighed and left. "What's wrong with her? Did she and Master Shifu get the same crazy disease or something?" Mantis asked. Tigress could hear Viper smacking him again. "OW! Alright, I'm shutting up!"

Tigress shook her head and continued out of the bunk house. _Ugh, this ruins everything! Now that Master Shifu knows… _Tigress stopped and shook her head. _What am I doing? I don't even think of Master Shifu in that way anymore. Viper is right; I'm blowing this way out of proportion. _She kept walking until she came to the Sacred Peach Tree of Heavenly Wisdom. She leaned against it and looked up at the stars that were now filling the sky.

_What am I supposed to do? Has all my training and hard work just been an outlet? Is it really worth anything? _She closed her eyes. _Everyone's going to be interrogating me about what's wrong. They already know something's up. I wish I had never said anything to Viper. _She lay down on the ground and looked up into the branches of the peach tree, which were filled with ripe fruit.

One of them fell to the ground and hit her on the forehead. "Ouch!" She sat back up and rubbed where the peach had hit. _Just my luck._

"Tigress?" It was Po. She sighed.

"Are you alright? You seemed really upset," he said quietly. She didn't look him in the eye.

"Well… if something's bothering you, you can tell me," he offered, his voice rising hopefully. She held in her breath. She had made a promise to herself to be nicer to Po, so she didn't say anything. Everything that came out of her mouth to Po was sarcastic or hurtful. "So… ok. If you need me… I'll be… yeah." Po shuffled off.

Tigress hit her head off the tree's trunk. Even when she didn't say anything, she did something to hurt his feelings. _He's the Dragon Warrior, and I should respect him. And I still treat him as if he's worth as much as the training equipment after I destroy it. I've been pushing my friends away, disrespecting my master… maybe things would be better off if I just left. _

Later that night, Shifu was pacing the floor in front of the pieces of Oogway's staff. Po had offered to tape it back together, but Shifu decided not to take the chance. It was one of the few things he had left of Oogway's, and he wouldn't want anything to happen to it. He sighed.

_Tigress is my student. Therefore I should have no problem with addressing this issue. However, if she still feels in this manner… _His eye twitched a little. _No matter if she has… romantic feelings for me, I should still be able to talk with her as her kung fu master and the father figure in her life. _

He sighed and left the Hall of Warriors. He walked to the bunk house. All of the lights were still on in the rooms. "Students."

They all came out and stood outside their doors. Po stumbled out and fell to the floor before standing up and at attention. He looked at his students. There was one missing. "Tigress." He knocked on her door. There was no answer. He pushed the door open. There was no one inside.

"Oh no," Viper whispered.

"Do any of you know where she went?" Shifu asked.

"She was in there a few minutes ago," Crane said worriedly.

"Search for her." They all went their separate ways. Shifu went into Tigress's room. His heart stopped for a moment at what he saw. The dresser was open and empty. The bag that she had brought with her when she first came to the Jade Palace was gone. The room was cold and empty, like a ghost. There was a letter on her bed. Shifu nearly fainted again. He didn't have to read the letter to know what was going on.

Tigress had run away.


	4. Tigress's Fate

Big or Little Ears?

By corset-rebellion-follower

Disclaimer: I don't own Kung Fu Panda

--

Chapter 4- Tigress's Fate

Tigress was tired. She hadn't slept in three days, and her feet felt like they were on fire. But she wanted to get as far away from Jade Palace as quickly as possible. _This is all for the best. _She finally sat down on the ground and started rubbing her feet.

She was in the middle of a dense forest, with fog rising up from the ground and just floating there. The forest was strangely quiet. There were a few birds chirping, but that plus the wind rustling the leaves of the trees were the only sounds Tigress could hear. The forest was dense enough that she was almost completely surrounded by various shades of dark green, except from the shafts of light coming in through the trees.

She concentrated hard on rubbing her feet. She hadn't come to a stream since early yesterday, and the peaches she had "borrowed" from the Sacred Peach Tree of Heavenly Wisdom were nearly gone. She rubbed her feet harder as her stomach rumbled.

_Just keep going. Food and water will come up soon. Don't be so soft. Just focus on the path ahead of you. _

She closed her eyes tight, trying to keep tears from falling. She had cried when she had left the Valley and across the Thread of Hope. She didn't want to cry anymore.

Her old life was behind her and this is the way things had to be. There was a crack of thunder. Despite the heavy canopy of the trees, rain came pouring into the forest. She spotted a cave nearby and ran inside. It was a little damp and cold, but it was better than being out in the rain. She shook the water off her face and sat down near the entrance to the cave, watching the rain fall quietly to herself.

Her thoughts drifted back to the Jade Palace and her friends. Master Shifu had probably sent them to go look for her. Either that, or they went themselves. Whichever it was, she knew it was only a matter of time before they found her and brought her home. She sighed, a small smile growing on her face.

_Home… I wonder if Viper and Crane have started flirting again. And if Monkey finally found out that it's been Mantis that's stealing his almond cookies and not Po. _

As she thought about all the quirks of her friends and her home, she slowly let her eyes flutter shut. And as she fell asleep, she could hear Shifu's reed flute playing in her mind.

Tigress slept for hours before stirring again. She sat up and yawned. She felt a lot better after a long nap. It was now dark out and the rain had stopped. Her stomach rumbled loudly. She blushed, even though no one was around to hear it. She decided to sacrifice her last peach to save her stomach.

But on a nearby rock, there was an apple and a cup. She cautiously walked over to them and picked them up. _I'd better not. They don't belong to me._

She put them back down and turned away. Her stomach growled loudly again and she put a hand over it. She picked up the cup again. It was filled with regular water. She sighed. Until she found another source of food and water, she would have to eat what she could.

She fell upon the food like a French Revolutionary.

_At least I still have my peach for lunch._ With this thought, she knew she had to stock up on food and water before she could go anywhere else on her journey. So she grabbed her bag and headed out of the cave.

The forest seemed more alive than yesterday. The breeze was warm and inviting, and the sounds of running water could be heard. She followed her ears until she came to a river. _At least I know where the water came from. _She ran down to the water and splashed her face with it. The water was cool and clear. The forest was much nicer during the day than at night.

She washed her face and changed her clothes, feeling much better than she did last night. Her feet still hurt, but she could wait until she found food to rest. She found the tree where the apple came from along the riverside. After she had a lunch of apples, she went back to the cave and sat down, rubbing her feet and expecting them.

They were aching and had little cuts in some places, but she could handle it. _This is actually really comfortable. It's no palace, but it is beautiful. _

That night she had no trouble falling into a deep sleep. But before she went to bed, her guilt had caught up with her again. She left her last peach and the cup which she had refilled on the same rock where she had found the apple. When she woke up the next morning, the peach was gone and had been replaced by a handful of sweet blackberries. Tigress smirked at the present before eating the berries.

It became like a game. Every night before she went to bed, she would leave something on the rock, and in the morning there would be something new. After about three weeks, things stopped being left on the rock. Tigress knew it wouldn't last very long, but still, she missed going to bed knowing there was going to be a surprise for her. It was a way to keep her hopes up, that she might still have friends.

_No one from Jade Palace has come anywhere near here yet. Maybe they all hate me for running like a coward._ She sighed and rested her head on her knees. She sniffled and held back her tears.

_I wonder… I wonder if they went to look for me at all. _

She shook her head and lay down to sleep. When she woke up the next morning, both of her feet were carefully bandaged. She gently ran her fingers over the white cloth. Her feet had stopped aching a long before, but some of the bigger cuts hadn't fully healed. She smiled. She did still have friends. Even if it was just one.

Another downpour struck the forest that day. It wasn't the usual light, warm rain that usually came down every once in a while. It was a hard, cold rain. She stayed in the cave, keeping warm by a small fire made from wood she had managed to collect before the cloudburst. Tigress used the time to think of what to do next.

_I can't stay in this cave forever. Three weeks is two long as it is. But all of China knows about the Furious Five. Anyone would recognize me in an instant. _She hugged her knees to her chest. _I'm stuck in this cave forever, unless I want to leave China. But it would take days and days to make that kind of journey. _

She drifted back to thoughts of her friends. She missed Viper and Mantis and Crane and Monkey and Po. And Master Shifu. _I don't even have a picture of them._ She curled up next to the fire and fell asleep.

Sunlight hit her face and she squinted against it, shielding her vision by putting her hand up to block it. She rubbed her eyes and looked around the cave.

"Good, you're up."

Tigress jumped up into a fighting position. "Who's there?" she demanded, looking around the cave.

"No need to be alarmed. I'm not going to hurt you."

She didn't back down. Her heart was pumping. She recognized that voice.

"I know that you haven't trained since you left the Jade Palace. It wouldn't be that difficult to defeat you."

"Show yourself!" Tigress yelled.

"It's good to see a familiar face," Tai-Lung said, stepping out of the shadows.

A/N: I know there was a lot of sleeping and waking up in this chapter, but it's how the story must be told.


	5. Warming Up

Big or Little Ears?

By corset-rebellion-follower

Disclaimer: I don't own Kung Fu Panda

--

Chapter 5- Warming Up

Tigress gaped for a few moments. "You're… you're supposed to be dead!" she said in disbelief.

He chuckled. "Funny how those things work out, isn't it?" Tai Lung received a hard punch in the nose. It sent him flying into the back of the cave. He growled and got up, rubbing his nose. "Well, I see your temper hasn't improved much. And after I took care of you for so long," Tai Lung said in an irritatingly calm voice.

"You didn't take care of me," Tigress snarled.

"Oh really? Well, I guess that apple and water just appeared out of nowhere when you stumbled in here," he defended.

Tigress softened a bit. "That… that was you?" she asked. He smirked.

"You're welcome. But that peach was payment enough, I suppose. Been stealing from the Sacred Peach Tree of Heavenly Wisdom?" She gritted her teeth. "And you never seemed the type to run away. Did you get tired of Shifu already?" he asked.

She pounced on him and pinned him to the ground. "Don't talk about my master like that," she growled, ears flat against her head.

He pushed her off and she was thrown out of the cave. "Still have some loyalty to him? I'm not surprised. But don't worry, you'll get over it." Tigress reentered the cave and gave him a hard shove.

"Just stay away from me," she warned, brushing herself off.

"Now why would I do that? You're helpless as far as I can see." She turned around and slapped him across the cheek.

"I am NOT helpless."

"Oh really? If you're not helpless then why are you hiding in a cave in the middle of a forest living off apples?" Tai Lung asked. Tigress squeezed her eyes shut and grit her teeth even harder.

_Ugh. He's right. I'm stuck here. I don't even have a ghost of a plan on what to do next. _

"Reality catching up to you?" he taunted. She punched him in the stomach. He winced.

"I don't need your help," she said angrily. He grabbed her wrist and twisted her arm behind her back. She let out a small yelp.

"Oh please. Without me you would have starved in the first week." She locked fingers with him and flipped him over her shoulder.

"I'm stronger than you think." He jerked her down so she was lying on top of him. Then he flipped the both of them so he was on top.

"Oh yes, you're so much stronger than I am," he said sarcastically, pressing their noses together. She tried to get up, but his grip was too hard on her wrists.

"Get off me!"

He chuckled and got up. "Don't worry. You'll warm up to me."

She got up and scoffed. "If you'll excuse me." She grabbed her bag off the floor and stormed out of the cave. Tai Lung watched her go.

"So, where are you going to stay now that you know I'm here?" he called after her.

"Get as far away from you as possible!" she yelled back. He caught up to her and started circling her.

"I understand. You don't want to be staying in cave with someone who has tried to kill you. But I assure you, that was strictly professional." She pushed him aside and kept walking. "Still as cold as ever. And even after I bandaged you up." Tigress stopped.

Tai Lung had been the one who left the apple and water. He had been the one who had bandaged her feet.

"How many nights have you been watching me sleep?" she asked, a little disturbed.

"Shifu would not be very happy with me if I let one of his prized students get fed to the wolves, would he?" Tai Lung asked, leaning against one of the trees.

"Master Shifu wants nothing more to do with you. You've caused nothing but pain and suffering to everyone you've ever come in contact with. It was by a stroke of pure luck that you would possibly want you still alive," She said scornfully.

He smirked. "Well, wasn't that a little harsh. But I suppose you would want to defend your little boyfriend." Tigress froze.

"Po is not my boyfriend. I don't know what you're talking about," she spat, walking around him to continue on.

"Oh, that's right! Ever since Shifu broke your little adolescent heart, you've never been able to love again."

Tigress turned around to face him. "How do you know about that?" she demanded.

"Trust me, Tigress, I know much more than you think I do. So what's it going to be, hm? Taking your chances in the woods, coming up against who knows what when you haven't had a decent training day in three weeks? Or going back to the cave and having to deal with the leopard that nearly destroyed your one and only love?" Tai Lung asked teasingly.

Tigress sighed. _He's right. Who knows where the next safe shelter is? I have to survive, it's do or die. _

Another voice rang through her head. **Are you insane? He's the enemy! He nearly choked you to death and nearly killed all your friends, too! And your kung fu master! **The original voice fought back.

_Friends? You mean the friends who didn't even come find you? And the master who thinks you're a fool now? Compared to them, Tai Lung is a vacation! _

Tigress held back the waterfall of tears that were coming up. **No. My friends are coming to find me. And I'm not a disgrace to Master Shifu. **She glanced back to Tai Lung, who was waiting patiently for her decision.

**And when they do come for me, we'll defeat Tai Lung, once and for all. **Tigress turned around. She took a deep breath and swallowed her pride. "Fine. But I swear, come any closer than five feet to me, and you'll be talking like a little girl," Tigress warned.

Tai Lung smirked.

"I'd just knew you'd see it my way."


	6. A Line is Established

Big or Little Ears?

By corset-rebellion-follower

Disclaimer: I don't own Kung Fu Panda

--

Chapter 6- A Line is Established

Shifu stared out into space. He was sitting under the Sacred Peach Tree of Heavenly Wisdom. It had shed all its leaves and blossoms and fruit the day after Tigress left. He hadn't talked to anyone for days.

His students weren't talking to each other either. They didn't even train together anymore. Shifu made sure that they were still training. He didn't want them to get lazy. Po was the only one trying to make any kind of contact with anybody. He would walk around, talking to everyone, but no one would ever say anything back. It had been a month and a week since they last saw Tigress.

Even after countless searches, they still couldn't find her. Crane and Mantis had given up, saying that she probably didn't want to be found and that it would be a waste of time to look for her.

"Besides, even if we did find her, she'll just run again. She's smart, she can take care of herself," Crane had said.

Po, Monkey, and Viper refused to give up. "We don't know where she is, how she's doing, if she's hurt… we have to find her!" Viper had countered.

Crane and Viper were mad at each other now, on top of being depressed and worrying. Shifu was clutching Oogway's staff as he looked over the valley. The village was as busy as ever, with people shopping at the market and friends socializing. Shifu sighed.

_This is my fault. All my fault. _He knew that he and his students couldn't stay like this forever. They had to get back to training and focus. Shifu left the tree's side. _I suppose it's time. _

He found Zeng and ordered him to gather his students and have them meet him in the hall of warriors. He stared down into the pool and at the reflection of the dragon that held the dragon scroll, before it was in Po's possession. He heard the doors open and his students come in.

"You wanted to see us, Master?" Po asked happily.

He didn't turn around. "Yes. In light of the recent events, I believe it is time to find someone to start studying the Tiger style of kung fu again," Shifu said solemnly.

"W—what?" Viper asked.

"Master Shifu, you can't be serious. I mean… you can't really be thinking of replacing Tigress!" Crane said frantically.

"It is regrettable. But she obviously doesn't want to be found. And there's nothing we can do about that," Shifu said.

"But there's still time to find Tigress!" Po insisted.

"We've searched all over China for her. No one has seen her."

"But we can't just give up on her! She's our friend," Monkey said quietly.

"I know this is hard on all of you. But my mind is made up. By the end of this month, we will have found a new student to teach the Tiger style to, and the balance will return to what it once was." Shifu ignored all of their protests as he left the Hall of Warriors. Viper, Mantis, Monkey, Crane, and Po all just stared at the door, mouths gaping, as it closed.

"So… what do we do now?" Monkey asked.

"I can't believe he's just giving up like this!" Viper exclaimed.

"Maybe he doesn't want Tigress around anymore," Mantis said. The rest of them looked at him like he was a traitor. "I mean, he was really weirded out by whatever made him faint on the night Tigress ran away. And he kept glancing at her like she had grown a second head," he explained.

"That's it!" Viper exclaimed.

"What's it?" Po asked.

"When Shifu fainted. He heard something that Tigress and I were talking about that he was not supposed to hear. Tigress even said how humiliating it would be! I can't believe I didn't see it sooner!" Viper told them.

"What did he faint over?" Crane asked. Viper opened her mouth to answer, but no sound came out. She closed her mouth and withdrew a little.

"Well?" Mantis asked.

"I can't really tell you guys," Viper said quietly.

"What? Why not?" Po demanded.

"I promised her! She would hate me."

"Viper, it could help find her and bring her back. Do you want her replaced?" Monkey asked.

"Well… no," she answered. She sighed. "Alright. The night she ran away, she confided something really secretive to me. She… she told me that she had a crush on Master Shifu when she was twelve." They were all silent for a moment. Then Po, Monkey, Mantis, and Crane all burst out laughing.

"Y—you're kidding us, right?" Mantis laughed.

"That's it? That's the entire reason she left?" Crane asked, trying to hold in his giggles for Viper's sake.

Viper glared at them. "Stop it, all of you! Tigress was really embarrassed by this! And when Master Shifu overheard us, she was devastated!" she yelled.

"I would be devastated too, if I fell in love with Shifu!" Monkey squealed.

The volume of the laughter increased. Viper gave all of them a good whack with her tail. "Guys, STOP IT! You don't realize how much it had an effect on Tigress. Ever since she gave up on her crush on him, she's never been able to love anyone more than respect or friendship!" she screamed.

They all stopped laughing. "We have about three weeks to find Tigress and bring her back," Crane said.

"That's not very much time," Mantis stated.

"We have to do it. Unless we want her replaced," Viper added.

"Besides, if there's no Tigress, then you guys would be called the Furious Four. That's just wrong!" Po joked. Everyone offered up weak laughs, but it was still too intense of a moment.

Crane paused a moment. "You know what, guys?" he began quietly. They all looked to him. "This is the most we've talked to each other since she left." They all looked to the floor and nodded.

"We'd better get to work. We only have three weeks," Monkey said, trying to lift their spirits.

A/N: Thank you to Kippis05 for your review on ch. 2 and to Hard-boiled Egg Devils for your review on ch. 1! They made me laugh so hard! Everybody read and review please!!


	7. Tigress Gets Back to Training

Big or Little Ears?

By corset-rebellion-follower

Disclaimer: I don't own Kung Fu Panda (Though I wish I did. Then I could be watching it now instead of having to wait for the DVD!!)

--

Chapter 7- Tigress Gets Back to Training

Tigress once again found herself in full lotus near the stream where she had been getting water to drink. Despite the fact that she was no longer at the Jade Palace, she missed training. That, and Tai Lung had been getting on her nerves every moment they were together. She could hear the crack of wood and Tai Lung's yells from her meditation spot.

She winced and tried to calm her breathing. Then a chunk of wood hit her in the back of the head. She stood up and whipped around. Tai Lung was leaning against what was left of a tree, barely breathing heavily. She stormed over to him.

"Do you MIND? I'm TRYING to meditate!" she yelled.

He smirked as he leaned against his stump of a tree trunk. "You seem a little too violent to be meditating." Tigress put her paws on her hips.

"Coming from the leopard who just destroyed half a forest for his sick pleasure."

Tai Lung laughed. "At least you still have your sense of humor. Since your patience and beauty is long gone." Tigress slashed him across the face with her claws. He staggered back and covered his face.

"I don't need your approval." She trooped back to the cave. Before she could reach the safe haven, he twisted her arm behind her back and pulled her against him.

"Let me GO!" she seethed, struggling against his grip. He smiled widely.

"You really haven't been training, have you? I can feel your weakness," he taunted. She continued to struggle against him, and Tai Lung just smiled evilly. She pushed against his chest as she tried to free herself.

_I have to admit, he has nice muscles. _She stopped struggling for just a moment. _Oh, I did __not__ just think that. _

Tigress stepped hard on his foot, and he released her. "Like I told you. Stay out of my way." She padded into the cave and sat down at the mouth next to her bag. Tai Lung limped over to her.

"Too bad you were too much of a coward to continue with your training. You might have some aptitude at kung fu if you were in shape," he sniped.

She stood up. "I _am _in shape. More than you, anyway." Tai Lung ran his eyes over her. Her arms were a bit muscular, but you couldn't see them very well like his. She had a slender waist and thin legs.

"Keep your eyes to yourself," she growled. He crossed his arms in front of his chest as she walked away. Once she was out of Tai Lung's range of sight and earshot, she sat down at the base of a tree. _Ugh, I should've left when I had the chance. _

She felt the tree trunk shake, and the trunk hit the back of her neck. "Ah! What the?" Tai Lung aimed for her stomach, but she dodged him just in time. She aimed for his head with a crescent kick, but Tai Lung ducked and knocked her off balance. She fell, but used her now free legs to kick him square in the jaw. He tried to punch her, but she rolled out of the way and jumped up. Tigress had to block a few more punches before she could kick him hard in the side. Before she could drop her foot, he grabbed it and swung her until her shoulder slammed into a tree. She cried out in pain and clutched her shoulder. Tai Lung let go of her foot.

"You… imbecile…" she seethed between sharp pains in her shoulder.

He snickered. "Consider that today's training."

She kicked him hard in the stomach again, making him fall back onto the ground. "I want…" She stood up and kicked him in the head. "…no training…" She punched him on the nose with her good arm. "…from you!" She stepped hard on his tail, making him yelp loudly.

She turned her back on him and walked away, her shoulders as straight as possible with the injured one stinging. She slunk into the cave and found her bag.

_Alright, enough is enough. Tai Lung cannot and will not control me. I can't believe I've been such a fool. I'm the Master of the Tiger style! And here I am, being a coward. Tonight… by morning I'll be gone. _She curled up in the cave and pretended to be asleep when Tai Lung came in after dark. She kept only one slit of an eye open to watch him until he fell into a deep sleep.

As soon as she was sure he was really asleep, she grabbed her bag and snuck out into the forest. And just for good measure, she rolled a huge boulder in front of the cave. As silent as the stars, she escaped into the night, leaving the cave for the last time. But she didn't notice Tai Lung's yellow eye watching her through a crack in between the rock and the mouth of the cave.

_I have to get out of the forest. I might as well go to the next town and send a message to the Jade Palace. Master Shifu needs to know about Tai Lung. _She ran through the dense trees, looking back to make sure that Tai Lung wasn't following her. Ever since he had gotten past her and the rest of the Furious Five at the Mountain Pass, she didn't underestimate him.

She could see lights ahead, which became more focused into lanterns. She found the inn and rented a room. Tigress had gotten a lot of strange looks from everyone, and could hear them whispering things like "It's Master Tigress of the Furious Five!"

As soon as she got to her room she dug around her bag and pulled out a sheet of paper, and her pen and ink palette.

_Dear Master Shifu, _

_Tai Lung has returned. I found him in a forest outside of the valley. I was forced to stay a few days in his company, for it was storming and it would have  
__taken me hours to find a new place to hide. I escaped earlier this evening and trapped him in the cave, but it is almost certain that he will be after me, thinking I'll either return to Jade Palace or try and get as far away as possible from the Jade Palace. I cannot tell you where I am. I don't want to endanger you or any of the others. My best wishes and good tidings._

_Master Tigress_

She took the letter to a messenger goose. "Deliver this immediately to the Jade Palace. Don't tell anyone there where you came from, no matter what," she instructed. The messenger goose nodded and took off, carrying her letter in his feet.

She sighed and headed back up to her room. "Please let that letter get to Master Shifu before Tai Lung gets to me."

A/N: It's reader-interacts-with-the-story time! I know I said that this would probably Po/Tigress, but I have firmly decided to make this a onesided Po/Tigress, with Po being the one who likes Tigress but she doesn't like him like that back. I have decided that the main pairing would either be Tigress/Tai Lung or Tigress/Shifu. But I SWEAR that I will write a pure Po/Tigress in the near future. The _very_ near future. So here's where you come in reader! In your review, tell me if you prefer Tigress/Tai Lung or Tigress/Shifu. Please review and tell me what you're opinion is on these pairings for future references. I don't want angry readers! Pleeeeease review! Holla!


	8. Looking Throughout China

Big or Little Ears?

By corset-rebellion-follower

Disclaimer: I don't own Kung Fu Panda

--

Chapter 8- Looking Throughout China

Shifu reread the letter again, just to make sure he wasn't going blind or having trouble reading. _Tai-lung… alive? _He shook his head. Surely if Tai-Lung had found Tigress, then she would either be in a lot of danger or in a great deal of physical pain at that moment. But he couldn't keep it a secret.

He knew his students were planning on leaving that night to go find Tigress and bring her back so she wouldn't be replaced. And he had every intention of trying to find a successor for her before he got her letter. Shifu didn't think they would ever hear from Tigress again, let alone this soon. Yet he still had to call the four members of the Furious Five and the Dragon Warrior to him. It would be bittersweet news for them, as it was for him. Master Viper stuck her head through the door.

"May we come in, Master?" she asked quietly. He glanced at her and nodded, walking to the doors and pulling them open, letting everyone inside.

"Um, Master Shifu, there's something we have to tell you…" Crane began.

"If it's that you all plan to leave the Jade Palace to look for Tigress and bring her home before the end of the month, then I already know. But there's something more important that I have to tell you," Shifu said. They all looked at him expectantly. "We received a letter today. It is from Master Tigress," he finished.

"Really?" Po asked hopefully.

"Yes. At the time that she wrote the letter she said she was safe and in hiding," Shifu explained.

"In hiding? Where?" Mantis asked.

"And from what?" Monkey added, "And how long has she been there?"

"I don't know where she's hiding. Or how long she's been there. But I do know that she is hiding from… from Tai Lung." There was almost complete silence, except for the sounds of crickets coming from outside.

"You're kidding, right?" Po asked. Shifu shook his head.

"Somehow Tai Lung survived, and now he is on the move. He could either be after Tigress or headed toward the Jade Palace. That's why she didn't write where she was, because it might put her or us in danger if it fell into the wrong hands." Everyone looked a little bit happier now that they knew their friend wasn't dead.

"Master Shifu?" Viper asked.

"Hm?"

"Are… are you coming with us to look for Tigress?" she asked. All his students looked at him. He sighed.

"What kind of master would I be if I didn't go to look for my own student?" he asked, trying to be cheerful. They all smiled brightly and started chattering amongst each other.

"Come. We'll have to leave immediately if we want to find her before Tai Lung does," Master Shifu ordered, already heading out the door. They all rushed out ahead of him, nearly knocking their master off his feet. Viper was the only one who remained behind him.

"Master… it's ok if you miss Tigress. You don't have to keep it bottled up inside," she whispered to him before going to catch up with everybody else. He paused for a moment to think about this, before going on his way, shaking his head and talking to himself.

Meanwhile, Tigress peeked out the window of the small room she had been staying in for the past few days.

The first thing she had done was buy herself a cloak to hide her face from people who recognized her, which was the majority of China. She did like it though, it was a beautiful cloak. Bright red silk with flowers embroidered on it in gold thread. And it had kept her from the prying eyes of the innkeeper, who was always looking at her suspiciously.

He was the only person besides Tai Lung that she kept a watchful eye out for. He was a big rhino who looked as if he never bathed in his life. That, and Tigress had caught him more than once staring at her butt as she passed by. She would pummel him to pieces if she didn't need the room in his inn.

Every day she hoped that Master Shifu had gotten the letter she had written. But she could only wait. There was a knock on her door. Her hopes rose through the roof, wanting to fling the door open and see Mantis and Crane and Viper and Shifu and Po and Monkey standing there, waiting for a hug.

"Who is it?" Tigress asked quietly, pulling the clock around her.

"There's someone here to see you, Miss." Tigress identified it as the maid who cleaned the rooms. She opened the door a crack. Before she could stop it, the door burst open, sending her to the floor, but the cloak still covering her face. She peered past it. And the entire doorway was filled with an enormous belly. One that belonged to Po. He instantly saw what he had done.

"Oh, I am so sorry! Did I hurt you?" he asked, helping me up. He grinned when he saw it was Tigress. He immediately picked her up and spun her around in a huge hug. "Tigress, I'm so glad you're safe!" he exclaimed loudly as he put her back down on the ground.

She clamped her paw over his mouth. "You have to be silent. I don't want anyone to recognize me, but especially not Tai Lung, if he's around." He nodded. She removed her paw. "What are you doing here?" she demanded.

"Master Shifu has us searching all over China for you! We've all been worried sick," Po explained. Tigress immediately felt bad. She had put her friends through so much trouble.

"So… I guess everybody's going to hate me to some degree, huh?" she asked quietly.

"Well, you're ears might explode if Shifu decides to yell at you, but otherwise everyone else forgives you," Po said. Tigress smiled. _I knew that my friends were coming for me!_

"So where is everyone else?" she asked.

"Well, Mantis and Monkey went north, I went east, Viper and Crane went west, and Shifu went south. But now we can all go home because you're here!" he exclaimed. Tigress smiled a little wider. _Home. _

--

"Did you hurt her?" Shifu demanded. There was no answer. He smashed the boulder he had rolled aside just a few minutes ago, causing it's pieces to fly everywhere.

"DID YOU HURT HER?" he yelled.

Tai Lung stepped out of the cave. "Only once. Don't worry, she had plenty of time to heal up, she left me in there for a week," Tai Lung said casually, leaning against the mouth of the newly reopened cave. Shifu gave Tai Lung a hard kick across the face.

"How dare you harm one of my students!" Tai Lung chuckled.

"It was for her own good. She was getting weaker every day. I was trying to toughen her up again by training her, but she turned it into a grudge battle."

"As well she should! You were part of the reason her childhood was so harsh!" Shifu accused.

"So now it's my doing? The fact that you couldn't trust anyone or love anyone anymore?" Tai Lung asked. His trademark smirk appeared on his face. "That you couldn't return the love of a poor little twelve year old girl?"

Shifu didn't say anything.

A/N: Ok, I'm on the very brink of making my decision of the pairing of this story. But I'm not telling until the time comes! Not even a clue! But please review!


	9. The Furious Five Again

Big or Small Ears?

By corset-rebellion-follower

Disclaimer: I don't own Kung Fu Panda

--

Chapter 9- The Furious _Five_ Again

Once again, Tigress's feet ached like fifteen scorpions were stinging her over and over again as she walked. But she didn't even notice. She ran up to the Jade Palace and flung the doors open to the training hall. _Home! Finally, I'm actually home!_

She fell to the wood floor and bursted out laughing. Po just sort of watched. It was a very un-Tigress like thing to do. She clutched her stomach from laughing too hard. Po started laughing, too.

"Why are we laughing?" he asked in between giggles.

"I don't know!" This made them laugh harder. Tigress somehow calmed down and looked around the training hall. Everything looked exactly the same as it had before she left. Except the Seven Swinging Clubs of Instant Oblivion. They were now collecting dust. She got up, her laughing spell now completely forgotten, and gingerly stepped onto the curved dragons beneath them. She ran her paw over one of the clubs. A huge amount of dust came off.

Po still hadn't stopped laughing. Tigress rolled her eyes. "Sorry, sorry, sorry! Your laughter is contagious." He glanced from her to the training equipment. "What's wrong?" he asked.

"Hasn't anyone been training?" she asked quietly.

"Not as hard as usual. And, well, not at the same time. No one's really talked much to each other in the past month. And no one really wanted to use those," Po explained. Tigress saw that one of the clubs was still missing a huge chunk, which she had taken out with a spin kick a day before she left.

"You ok?" Po asked. She nodded.

"I'm going to my room. That is, if no one burned it in capitulation," she said sadly.

"No, no one's been in your room, except for Master Shifu."

A light blush passed across her cheeks at that. She padded out of the training hall and to the bunk house. She pushed the doors to her room open. Her bed was still neatly made in the way she always made it. The dresser doors were now closed, which she had forgotten to do in her haste of leaving. The letter she had left Master Shifu was now gone. Everything seemed a little cleaner than usual.

_I guess that's what Master Shifu was doing in my room. _She put her bag down on the bed and just sat down in the middle of the floor. _What was I thinking, running away? Running from my problems is no way to solve them. And where was I supposed to go? This is the only home I have now. _Po came in.

"Tigress, I just saw Viper and Crane coming up the steps!" She quickly got up and followed him.

"Well, at least we know somewhere where she's not. That's something," Crane said optimistically.

"But there are so many other places she could be. There's the rest of China, for that matter!" Viper said. They reached the top of the stairs, where Po was standing… with Tigress. They both gaped at her for a few seconds.

"Hey. I'm back," she said quietly.

"Ti… Tigress? Is she really there, or am I just seeing things?" Viper asked.

"No, I think she's really there. I see her too," Crane said.

"I am here! And I missed you guys," Tigress added, hugging Viper.

Viper let out an indescribable cry of joy as her friend hugged her. "Where were you?" she asked as Tigress let her go.

"I was hiding out in the forest for a while. Then I walked to the town where Po found me and stayed there for a few days," Tigress explained. She hugged Crane, too.

"So then what Master Shifu said was right? You were really with Tai Lung?" Viper asked.

Tigress nodded. "I'm not proud of it. But I didn't really have anywhere else to go." Viper gave her an understanding smile.

"Let's get inside, it's getting dark," Crane noted. They all went to the kitchen. Po started making dinner while he talked to Crane, Viper, and Tigress.

"So what did you do when you realized it was Tai Lung?" Viper asked.

"Did you kick his butt?" Po asked.

"I punched him in the nose," Tigress said proudly.

"Did he try to hit you back?" Crane asked worriedly.

"Surprisingly… no. He was actually sort of… decent," Tigress said. Crane, Po, and Viper all burst out laughing.

"No, seriously, what'd he do?" Crane asked, calming down. Tigress looked down at the table. _Of course they don't believe me. This is Tai Lung that we're talking about. _

Viper stared at Tigress with wide eyes. "Wait… you're serious?" she asked in disbelief.

"Well… sort of. Right before I left the cave I shared with him, he tried to fight me, saying that it was 'training'," she scoffed. Po put bowls in front of everyone. Tigress's mouth watered at the sight of it. It was the first truly filling meal she had since she left. And she attacked it like a WW1 Russian civilian.

"So what did you do with all your… free time?" Crane asked.

"Not much. I spent the first few days walking nonstop, and after I did stop and I found that cave, I slept for a few days. It's a little unnerving now because Tai Lung had been in that cave long before I had gotten there." Viper choked on her soup.

"Tai Lung was there the whole time? And you didn't even know he was there?" she asked. Tigress nodded.

"He came in after I fell asleep every night and must have been up and gone before I woke up because I never saw him for about a month. He was just watching me sleep the entire time." This still disgusted her, and apparently disturbed Crane, Viper, and Po.

"And he didn't try to kill you in your sleep?" Crane asked. She shook her head and swallowed down more of the soup.

"There's something strange about that. Maybe he was keeping you safe because he knew we would go looking for you and he wanted revenge," Po mused.

"Well he never found me after I left. I rolled a rock in front of the cave to block the entrance and stop him from following me, but I don't think it'll keep him in there for very long," Tigress said.

"I wonder how Monkey and Mantis and Master Shifu are doing," Viper said worriedly.

"Let's hope that Tai Lung didn't find any of them," Crane added. Tigress stopped just before she took another bite of soup.

_I hadn't thought of that. What if Tai Lung did find them and is holding them hostage? And what if they're hurt? _More regrets of running away filled her heart. She ate the rest of the soup so that her friends wouldn't worry about her, but she had completely lost her appetite.

A/N: Another chapter done! And I'm off to England tomorrow, so unless I get another update in tonight, I won't be updating again for about a week. I wish I could! Please review, and no flames, please! Holla!


	10. Monkey and Mantis Return

Big or Little Ears?

By corset-rebellion-follower

Disclaimer: I don't own Kung Fu Panda

--

Chapter 10- Monkey and Mantis Return

Monkey and Mantis had crossed the rebuilt Thread of Hope and were walking through the village and back to the Jade Palace. Their search for Tigress was futile.

"I hope she's ok," Monkey said worriedly.

"Maybe Viper and Crane found her. Or Shifu, or Po. I bet she's at the Jade Palace right now," Mantis said.

"I don't know. You and I both know how stubborn Tigress is. She could probably run away to the Valley and we'd never find her," Monkey contradicted.

"I'm hungry. What about you?" Mantis asked. Monkey glared at him. "What? Its lunchtime and we don't know if Po is back. And I don't know about you, but even I don't want to taste my cooking," Mantis said. Monkey sighed.

"I suppose we could get some food before going back up to the Jade Palace."

"Alright! I think that Po's dad's noodle shop is just around the corner, let's go there," Mantis said happily. They entered Mr. Ping's noodle shop. Everyone stared whispering when they entered and stared at them with respect and admiration. Mr. Ping was waiting on people, so they waited until the counter was free of customers. He grinned when he saw Monkey and Mantis.

"Oh, my son's friends! Come, sit down!" He took them to a table and scurried back to the kitchen. After ten minutes, he came back with a huge platter of food.

"Told you this was a good idea," Mantis whispered as Mr. Ping put bowls of noodles on the table.

"So, how is my son?" Mr. Ping asked.

"Po was fine the last time we saw him," Monkey said.

"The last time?" Mr. Ping asked worriedly.

"Yeah. We haven't seen him in about a week. We've all been looking for Master Tigress. She… went missing. But keep it down, we don't want everyone freaking out," Mantis warned.

"Oh dear! Well, I do hope she's alright! Po always took a special shine to her, even before he knew her! He used to just stay up there for hours on his days off and stare at a poster of her," Mr. Ping said retrospectively. Monkey and Mantis both burst out laughing.

"Wait wait wait! You mean that Po has the hots for Tigress?" Mantis asked, trying not to fall out of his seat.

"Oh yes, he always thought she was quite a beauty! He used to write haikus about her all the time, too. They were actually very well written." This made Mantis and Monkey laugh harder. "Wait until Viper and Crane hear about this!" Mantis howled.

"And Tigress!" Monkey added.

"I thought she was missing," Mr. Ping said confusedly.

"She is. But we're sure that one of us will find her. Master Shifu sent us all out to the very corners of China looking. It's not that hard to see that someone will find her," Monkey explained.

"We'd better eat and get going. We want to know if anyone found Tigress yet," Mantis said. Mr. Ping went back to the kitchen, and Mantis and Monkey devoured their noodles as fast as possible. As soon as they paid, they ran out of the shop and up the steps toward the Jade Palace. About halfway up, they had to stop running and rest.

"Okay… we're almost… there. Just a few… more steps," Mantis panted. A loud roar filled the air. They both straightened up. "Did that sound like…"

A very distressed voice was heard next. "OW! Tigress, take it easy!!" They both looked at each other before resuming their running. They reached the top of the steps and ran through the front gates. And they saw Tigress and Po sparring in the arena, and Po losing badly.

"Tigress!" Mantis exclaimed. Tigress turned her head to them. She immediately left a swaying, half-conscious Po and swept both Monkey and Mantis in a hug.

"I missed you both!" she exclaimed happily.

"We missed you too. But you're crushing us!" Monkey said in a strained voice. She let them go and they both fell to the ground. "We're really glad you're safe! Who found you?" Monkey asked.

Po staggered over to them. He fell to the ground on his stomach. "I did," he said weakly.

"I see you've been training again," Mantis said coolly. She grinned proudly and nodded.

"So is anyone else back yet?" Monkey asked Po.

"Crane and Viper came yesterday," Po told them.

"What about Master Shifu? Have you seen him recently?" Tigress asked worriedly. They both shook their heads. Tigress looked down at the ground in disappointment. _I hope nothing's happened to him. _

"So, is it true? Were you really hanging around with Tai Lung?" Mantis asked. Tigress nodded.

"So how many times did he try to kill you?" Monkey asked.

"Only once. He tried to mask it as 'training to get me back in shape', but I'm no fool," Tigress said bitterly. Crane flew up to them.

"I just saw Master Shifu coming up the steps!" They all ran out of the temple arena and to the top of the steps. Master Shifu came up to them and immediately looked at Tigress. They all bowed in respect to him.

"Tigress. You're back," he said coldly.

She looked up at him and nodded. "Yes, Master. I have. I hope I am still welcome." His cold stare didn't soften.

"You are always welcome here." Tigress silently let go of the breath she was holding in. _At least I still have a home. _

"Are we to resume training, Master?" Crane asked.

"No. Not yet." The Furious Five and Po all looked at him in disbelief. "You have to greet our… _guest_ first." They all exchanged glances, wondering who Master Shifu might have brought with him. Tigress nearly had a heart attack.

Tai Lung came up the steps and stood behind Shifu. He smirked at Tigress. Shifu was obviously not happy about Tai Lung being their either. He was wearing one of his darkest scowls, and his ears were flat against his head. But he handled it better than Tigress.

Tigress fainted.

A/N: Chapter 10! When I started this fic, I only thought it would be about five chapters or so! And look at it now! Huge thanks to mSnitta and Duskblood for being so supportive. You guys really got me going. But sadly, I think that this story will only have one or two chapters left, and I'm going to hurry to finish them before I go to England tomorrow. But don't worry, I promise that I'll be chock full of new Kung Fu Panda story ideas when I get back. I've already dedicated one of my many notebooks to fanfiction ideas in anticipation. Auf Wiedersehen!


	11. Student and Master

Big or Little Ears?

By corset-rebellion-follower

Disclaimer: I don't own Kung Fu Panda

--

Chapter 11- Student and Master

Tigress slowly opened her eyes. She felt as if she had gotten hit with a brick in the head and the stomach, and as if a knife had gone through her heart. "Wha… what's going on?" she whispered quietly.

"Good, you're up." Her eyes flew open at those words. They were the exact words that Tai Lung had said right before he had revealed himself to her. _Master Shifu would not leave him alone in here with me!_ She sat up and looked to the voice. It was Shifu. He looked more worried than ever and not at all pleased that she was awake.

"You fainted. I suppose I shouldn't have just brought Tai Lung without warning. But I thought that it would be easier for everyone to accept that he was still alive," Shifu explained.

"Tai Lung… he hasn't hurt anybody has he?" Tigress asked fretfully.

"No, of course not. I'm keeping him isolated from everyone until they all calm down," he said, handing her a cup of water. Tigress drank it all, but it burned her throat like poison. She put it down on her dresser.

"Master… I am sorry if I have dishonored you. I had no intention of doing so when I left," she said regretfully.

"You didn't think you'd be coming back did you?" he asked.

She shook her head. "No, no I didn't." Shifu sighed.

"Tigress, I know what it feels like right before you run away. It feels like there's no way out, like this is the only answer that will cause the least pain. But that's later replaced by feelings of regret and loneliness. Am I right?" he asked quietly.

"Yes. I was… I was just so embarrassed. I didn't know what I was thinking." She paused. "How would you know what it feels like?" she asked.

He chuckled a little. "I know because I ran away, too. When I was fifteen years old. My mother and father were struggling to keep the family together. I figured if I left, then there would be one less mouth to feed and one less child for them to worry about. But about a month or two into my journey, I worried that maybe it left more pressure on them than before," he explained.

"Did you ever go back?" Tigress asked. He shook his head.

"I never saw any of them again. And I wasn't doing so well on my own. I came to the Valley of Peace to try and find work and a place to live. That's where I met Oogway. If it weren't for him, I would most likely be dead."

Tigress rubbed her arm nervously. "I'm… I'm so sorry," she whispered. He turned to look at her and smiled a bit.

"You don't have to apologize to me. I'm just glad you're safe." There was a very awkward silence.

Tigress sighed. "Master Shifu, I don't know how much you heard when I was talking with Viper that night, but just so you know, I had that crush when I was twelve. It's not like it's tearing me up inside right now or anything," she said reassuringly. He glanced at her again.

"Are you sure it's not? Because when you were a teenager, I never saw you glance at one male. It was a lot easier than when Viper was going through that stage, but…" Tigress giggled. "What's so funny?" he asked.

She covered her mouth and tried to hold in more giggles. "Forgive me, Master, but… that was possibly the closest thing to a joke I've ever heard from you!" she said, removing her hands and letting her eager laughter out. Shifu started laughing too, even though he hadn't meant it to be a joke.

_It's good to hear her laugh. And her laugh is very beautiful._ His stomach lurched when he thought that, feeling a little confused as his weak laughter died out. Tigress eventually calmed down. "Well, it is appropriate for children that age to begin to have… romantic feelings," Shifu said uneasily.

Once again the conversation turned awkward. After about five full minutes of silence, Tigress asked, "Is dinner ready yet?"

"Oh, yes, Po is cooking it right now. I suppose you should eat, you need your strength," Shifu said. Tigress nodded and bowed to her master before leaving for the kitchen. _Well that went well_, she thought disappointedly.

_There were so many other things I wanted to talk to him about. But I suppose that I should be happy he's even talking to me._

She entered the kitchen. Crane, Monkey, and Po were already in there.

"Tigress! You're up!" Po said happily, chopping up a leek.

"Yeah. How obnoxious did I look when I fainted?" she asked.

"Well… I wouldn't say you looked obnoxious. You were just shocked. Don't worry, we all were shocked," Crane said.

"It was a very graceful faint," Monkey added. She smiled. Her friends still cared.

"I'm sorry for all the trouble I've caused you all. I didn't mean to, I swear! I just… felt lost," she said weakly, sitting down.

"We understand. And it's ok. We all know how it is for you, always striving to be the best all the time. Maybe you should just rest for a while. Lay off the training for a week or two," Po suggested.

"A week or two? I've had a whole month's vacation! I have so much to make up. And the Seven Swinging Clubs of Instant Oblivion have been calling my name!" she cried dramatically. They all laughed. Tigress really felt at home as she ate dinner.

Viper and Mantis came in late, saying that they were getting in extra training before dinner. Crane rolled his eyes, Monkey smiled knowingly into his soup, and Po smirked and said, "Uh huh." Tigress could tell that they were hiding something, but she decided not to say anything about it until after dinner. After all of Po's soup was eaten and gone, Viper surprised them all by taking out a huge container of her sweet dumplings.

"To celebrate the reconciliation of our big family," she said, looking at Tigress. Tigress felt tears rise up in her eyes as she chewed on a dumpling. _This is my family. _

"So did Shifu yell at you?" Po asked, starting on his seventh dumpling. She shook her head.

"He was very calm and rational about it. And I knew he would be," she said loyally. She considered asking them if they knew about Shifu running away, but she didn't say anything. _Shifu told me that in confidence. I can't betray him. Not after all he's done for me._

They plowed through Viper's sweet dumplings in no time. Po was licking his fingers clean. "Seriously Viper, you should cook more often. I could use a break," he said hopefully.

Viper laughed. "Thanks, but that's all I know how to cook."

"I could live off your sweet dumplings," Mantis said happily.

Viper smiled appreciatively. "Well, I think I'm going to do some extra training before bed. Good night." They all called good night to her as she slithered out.

"You know… I think I'll go with her. I could use a little pre-sleep exercise," Mantis said, hopping out of his seat and quickly following Viper.

As soon as he was gone, Tigress asked, "Okay, what was up with that?"

"A lot has changed in the month you were gone. Mantis consoled Viper after you left. She burst out in a huge crying fit. And I don't know what happened in there, but after that, they were _very_ close. They didn't talk to each other or anything, but you could tell," Po said.

"Mantis and Viper? Seriously?" Tigress asked.

Crane snickered and nodded. "It's pretty funny to watch him try to catch her attention. Once he balanced on top of a stack of mahjong tiles to show off." Tigress smiled. She knew that Crane had like Viper, and was glad that he was handling this well.

"How low some go for love." They all turned to the door. Tai Lung was leaning against the door frame. They all went silent and started scowling. "What? No hello?" he asked.

Shifu came in. "Tai Lung. I thought I told you to wait in the Hall of Warriors for me," he said crossly.

"Forgive me, Master Shifu. I thought I would check up on my former cave-mate before I went there," he said, smirking at Tigress. Tigress clenched her fists and gritted her teeth.

"Well she's just fine, so you can just go," Po said angrily.

Tai Lung chuckled. "Well, I guess I really am not welcome here." He left the kitchen and walked down the hallway.

Shifu followed and walked beside him. "I think it would be best if you left, Tai Lung. I said I would bring you here so that you could apologize to Tigress for any trouble you caused her, and as soon as you do that I want you gone," he said darkly.

"Yes, I was thinking about that deal. And I'd like to make an addition to it," Tai Lung said coolly.

"The deal stays as it is. You apologize, and then you leave," Shifu said.

"Really? Well, there's a whole village of unsuspecting people down there. It would truly be terrible if the village were to burn to the ground," Tai Lung said threateningly. Shifu stopped, and Tai Lung followed suit.

"I'll _listen _to your addition, and I'll _possibly_ considering to agreeing to it," Shifu said.

"I knew you would see it my way. After I apologize to Tigress, I leave forever and never come back…"

Shifu raised an eyebrow. Tai Lung wouldn't add that on unless…

"… but lovely Master Tigress comes with me," Tai Lung finished.

… There was a catch. "No! Absolutely not! Tigress stays here! This is where she belongs!" Shifu said, outraged.

"Really? Are you sure? Because I would hate for the Valley of Peace to turn into a pile of ash," Tai Lung said.

"Tigress stays here," Shifu said forcefully.

"Or how about this? I'll fight you for her," Tai Lung offered.

A/N: Ha, I bet you didn't see that coming! I really thought this was going to be Viper/Crane, but I couldn't get it to work right in the story, so I decided to make it Viper/Mantis. Only one more chapter, I think! And I will have this done almost certainly before I go to England! Please read and review, and I'll update as soon as I can! Holla!


	12. I Can Listen

Big or Little Ears?

By corset-rebellion-follower

Disclaimer: I don't own Kung Fu Panda

--

Chapter 12- I Can Listen

Shifu was a little shocked. _Fight for Tigress?_ "What do you want with her?" he asked.

"Please, Shifu, don't tell me you've gone blind. Surely you've noticed Master Tigress's beauty," Tai Lung said.

"Of course I noticed it!" Shifu snapped. Tai Lung softly snorted.

"I figure once I train her in the right way, she'll make a lovely wife."

Shifu twitched. "You're kidding me, right?" he asked.

"I assure you, I'm completely serious. Despite the fact that I am an outcast here, there's no reason why I can't have a life outside of the Valley. And Master Tigress is just the thing I need to complete my new life," Tai Lung said smugly.

"The deal stands as agreed. You will apologize, and then leave. However, feel free to never return," Shifu spat. He turned his back to Tai Lung and started down the hall.

"Very well. I suppose since I can't persuade you, I'll just have to kidnap her," Tai Lung said casually. Shifu stopped short. _Surely he wouldn't stoop so low… _Shifu turned around, but Tai Lung was already gone. Shifu's heart nearly stopped.

_Tigress… I have to protect her._

He ran into the kitchen to make sure that she wasn't still there, but the kitchen was completely empty. Then he ran to the bunk house. "TIGRESS!" Tigress opened the doors to her room and looked outside.

"Yes, Master Shifu?"

"I want you to be very careful tonight. If anyone tries to come into your room, come to me immediately. Do you understand?" he asked. She nodded. He sighed worriedly.

"Alright. Good. Do… do you want for me to sit outside of your room?" he asked.

"Master, whatever you're worrying about getting to me, I'm sure I can handle it. I am your student," she reminded. He nodded.

"Thank you. Good night." He walked down the hall and to his own room. He tried very hard to sleep, and eventually he did, but it was a very uncomfortable sleep.

And when the sun finally seeped into his window the next morning, he woke up almost instantly from tossing and turning all night. He kept having the same dream over and over again. That Tai Lung knocked out Tigress and took her out of the Valley. As soon as he was fully awake and dressed, he had the gong rang and waited. His students came out of their rooms as they always did and said, "Good morning, Master." Shifu smiled.

It was almost like things were back to normal.

"You have half an hour before training begins. I suggest you all get a good breakfast." They nodded and headed towards the kitchen. "Tigress."

She stopped and turned to face him. "Yes, Master Shifu?"

"I trust that you had a long, peaceful night's sleep?" he said. She nodded. "Good. You may go." She bowed again and left for breakfast. Shifu sighed. _Maybe my luck is improving and Tai Lung has left on his own. _He shook his head and followed his advice, heading to the kitchen for breakfast. On his way there, he heard cries and yelling coming from the training hall. He pushed the doors open.

All the equipment was completely destroyed. Even the Adversary was ripped to shreds. The only thing that survived was the Jade Tortoise. "Good morning, Master Shifu." He turned and saw Tai Lung standing proudly near the destroyed course. "Impressed?" Tai Lung asked.

"Impressed that now I have to replace all the equipment in my training hall? Not really," Shifu said crossly.

Tai Lung chuckled. "Well since destroying the village was forbidden, I decided to destroy your course instead. It was a good warm up, though." Tai Lung strutted out of the training hall. Shifu shook his head. _That boy needs to get a grip on himself._

He left the training hall and went to the kitchen. His students were sitting around eating chocolate chip waffles. He frowned a bit at their not so healthy food choices, but didn't say anything about it. They all glanced at him for a moment. Usually Shifu ate before they were even up, so they hardly saw him in the kitchen. "There has been a slight change of plans. Due to… forces that are not in my control, we must train in the arena instead of the training hall," Shifu reported. And he left without another word.

"Why do you think we can't use the training hall?" Crane asked.

"I'll bet my almond cookies that Tai Lung did something to the course," Monkey said irately. Everyone nodded. They all finished their breakfast and left for the arena. And when they got there, Shifu was waiting. With Tai Lung. Mantis, Monkey, Po, and Crane immediately make a protective barrier between Tigress and Tai Lung, glaring daggers at him. Tigress rolled her eyes.

"Well, Tai Lung? Isn't there something you want to say?" Shifu asked. Tai Lung frowned. Shifu was talking to him as if he were a child again. But he still stepped forward and pushed through the protective barrier, hitting Po's shoulder with his in the process. He bowed to Tigress.

"Forgive me for any trouble I may have caused you," he said in a sugary sweet voice. She didn't say anything back, she just crossed her arms in front of her chest and glared with her friends. He took her hand and kissed it.

She jerked it away and spat, "Don't touch me." He smirked at her before turning his back on her and walking out of the Jade Palace. Just like that.

Crane breathed a sigh of relief. "Glad he's gone, huh?"

"Yeah. I was this close to kicking him out of here myself," Mantis said. Po, Crane, and Monkey all rolled their eyes as Viper fluttered her eyelashes a little.

"Start training, we all had a lot of distraction over the past month, and we need to get back to work," Shifu ordered. Tigress felt a warm blush on her cheeks. _All of those distractions were caused by me. _She headed to the ring, but was stopped by Master Shifu.

"Tigress, I need to speak with you." She followed him to the Hall of Warriors. "Are you sure that you're alright? Did you sleep well?" Shifu asked.

Tigress nodded. "I'm fine, Master Shifu. But… are you alright?" she asked.

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"Well… you're being very overprotective. I've never seen you this worried," she said. Master Shifu didn't say anything.

_I have been overprotective. I shouldn't have even given it a second thought when I heard her say she used to love me. I shouldn't have been listening at all. I'm not respecting her as a student. But I can't stop thinking about it… about her._

Tigress sighed. "Well, Master Shifu, I should get back to training. I have to make up a month of slacking off." She leaned down and placed a gentle kiss on his mouth. "But when you're ready to talk about it, I can listen." And she left the Hall of Warriors to resume her training.

A/N: There it is, the final chapter! I already have a sequel brewing in my head, so watch out! Please review and tell me what you think! And major thanks to all my reviewer and readers!


	13. Soundtrack

Big or Little Ears?

By corset-rebellion-follower

Disclaimer: I don't own Kung Fu Panda

--

Chapter 13- Soundtrack

Po was in the Hall of Warriors, dancing around like an idiot and lip synching to the words of the song he was listening to, a white iPod in hand. The earbuds tucked in his ears, and loud guitar can be heard coming out of them. The Five and Master Shifu entered.

"Master Shifu, I don't see why we just can't have one little break before…" Mantis trailed off when he saw Po dancing. "Oh that is priceless," he said, trying to hold in his giggles.

"I didn't think it was possible, but he looks even more like an idiot than he did on his first day of training," Tigress mused.

"I don't know, he's not that bad," Viper said, ever trying to be supportive of her friend.

"You're kidding me, right?" Crane laughed. Monkey doesn't say anything, he's covered his mouth, trying hard not to laugh insanely. Master Shifu sighed. He went over to Po and yanked the earbuds out of his ears.

"Panda, if you will kindly stop making a fool of yourself." Po stopped dancing, and looked at the Five, then at Master Shifu.

"Oh… H—hey guys, W… what're you doing here?" he asked, his cheeks turning a bright red. Mantis hopped off his place on Monkey's shoulder and onto Po's.

"Two words, my friend. Dancing lessons." Po chuckled.

"Heh heh. Sorry. I was just into the music, you know? This stuff is awesome!" he said happily.

Tigress plucked the iPod from his grasp. "Ugh, don't tell me you're listening to that silly soundtrack again," she said in a disgusted tone.

"Hey, it's not silly! Besides, it's about you!" Po defended.

"Yes, but corset-rebellion-follower didn't give it to us so we could dance around like a crazy person. It's disrespectful," Monkey said.

"It's practically an insult to the music industry in whole," Mantis added.

"Well I thought it was ok. It could have been worse," Viper said.

"Thank you, Viper," Po said appreciatively, glaring at the rest of the five.

"Might I ask what all of you are talking about," Shifu said, annoyed.

"Po, you remembered to tell Shifu, right?" Crane asked. Po froze.

"Oh you did not!" Tigress snapped.

"I was gonna tell him, I just… forgot," Po said sheepishly.

"Forgot to tell me WHAT?" Shifu demanded.

"Corset-rebellion-follower made a soundtrack of our story for us. She shipped it over last week," Crane explained.

"It's actually some pretty awesome stuff," Mantis said.

"Even Tigress liked it," Monkey furthered.

Shifu raised an eyebrow at her. Normally his Tigress wasn't interested in music, aside from the music he played on his reed flute. Tigress looked away, blushing. Monkey slipped the iPod from Tigress's hand and gave it to Shifu so he could look at the playlist.

_**Big or Little Ears? Soundtrack**_

**Track One- Kung Fu Fighting by Cee-Lo and Jack Black (Signals the beginning of the fic)**

**Track Two- Headphones On by Miranda Cosgrove (Tigress Meditating and Po Interrupting Her Inner Peace)**

**Track Three- These Words by Natasha Bedingfield (Tigress and Viper talking about whose ears they like better)**

**Track Four- The Call by Regina Spektor (Tigress thinking about her old crush on Shifu)**

**Track Five- I Don't Wanna Be In Love (Dance Floor Remix) by Good Charlotte (Tigress talking to Viper after dinner)**

**Track Six- There's a Fine, Fine Line by Stephanie A'bruzzo (Tigress after Shifu wakes up from fainting)**

**Track Seven- Shadowland from Lion King the Musical (Tigress when she ran away)**

**Track Eight- Reflection by Keke Palmer (Tigress, right before she gets to the cave)**

**Track Nine- Thinking About You by Solange Knowles (Chapter 6)**

**Track Ten- Beautiful Girls (Nickelodeon Mix) by Sean Kingston (When Tai Lung and Tigress first interact)**

**Track Eleven- Training Po by Hans Zimmer and John Powell (When Tai Lung and Tigress fight**

**Track Twelve- Everybody's Free (To Feel Good) by Quindon Tarver (Tigress deciding to leave the cave and Po finding her)**

**Track Thirteen- Home by Vanessa Carlton (Tigress returning to the Jade Palace and reuniting with the Five and Shifu)**

**Track Fourteen- This is Home by Switchfoot (Tigress talking with Shifu after she faints)**

**Track Fifteen- Poison by Tarja (Tai Lung threaten to kidnap Tigress and sort of his view on Tigress)**

**Track Sixteen- Lion by Rebecca St. James (Tigress's thoughts on Shifu)**

**Track Seventeen- Drops of Jupiter by Train (Shifu thinking about Tigress)**

**Track Eighteen- Kissing You by Des'ree (Shifu's and Tigress's first kiss)**

**Track Nineteen- Absolutely (Story of a Girl) by Nine Days (Tigress's changes throughout the story)**

"Why wasn't I consulted about this?" Shifu asked, handing the iPod back to Tigress.

"We didn't think you'd be very interested in it, Master," Crane said.

"That, and you have horrible taste in music," Po said. Shifu glared at him. A few second later, Po flew out of the Hall of Warriors and down the stairs.

"Ow! Ow! Ouch! Ooh!"

"Think he'll be ok?" Viper asked, concerned, as she and Mantis left the Hall after Po and watched him bounce down the stairs.

"I'll go get the acupuncture needles," Mantis sighed, heading to the bunkhouse.

A/N: I know I said the last chapter was the end, but I have a tradition with my fanfics that when I finish, I post a playlist of songs that inspired certain parts of the fic. I didn't do it with my National Treasure fics because that's kind of hard, but if you read my Lion King fic 'Anana Banana', there's a soundtrack for that fic. So here's the one for Big or Little Ears. I'm working on the soundtrack for A Reminder right now, and I'll post it at the end of the fic. All of these songs are available on iTunes, except Thinking About You by Solange Knowles, which is on the Scooby Doo soundtrack. Thank you so much to everyone who reviewed! Special thanks to frodoschick, mSnitta, Aye Chihuahua, Duskblood, and Vigilance for all the support and reviews, and review replies when I reviewed their stories! I love you all! Holla!


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